GitHub Dark Dimmed
GitHub Dark Dimmed — the lower-contrast variant of GitHub's Dark theme used across github.com and the GitHub VS Code extension. A muted blue- charcoal canvas (#22272E) with subtle gray borders and a softened blue accent (#316DCA emphasis, #539BF5 fg). Easier on the eyes than the full-contrast GitHub Dark for long reading sessions. Dark mode is sourced directly from @primer/primitives' published dark_dimmed JSON. Light mode is brand-atoms' authored inversion (consumers wanting the canonical GitHub light experience should use github-primer instead).
26 swatches 14 light roles 14 dark roles
Swatches
canvas-default
#22272E
Editor / page background — the dimmed signature tone.
canvas-overlay
#2D333B
Elevated surface — popups, panels, overlays.
canvas-inset
#1C2128
Recessed surface — sidebars, code blocks (deepest tone).
canvas-subtle
#2D333B
Subtle surface — alternating rows, muted backgrounds.
fg-default
#ADBAC7
Primary text / default foreground.
fg-muted
#768390
Muted text — secondary content, captions.
fg-subtle
#636E7B
Subtle text — placeholders, disabled.
fg-on-emphasis
#CDD9E5
Foreground used on accent.emphasis backgrounds.
border-default
#444C56
Default border color.
border-muted
#373E47
Muted border / divider.
accent-fg
#539BF5
Primary accent foreground — links, focused tabs.
accent-emphasis
#316DCA
Solid accent — primary buttons, selected state.
success-fg
#57AB5A
Success / git-added foreground.
success-emphasis
#347D39
Solid success.
danger-fg
#E5534B
Error / git-removed foreground.
danger-emphasis
#C93C37
Solid danger.
attention-fg
#C69026
Warning / attention foreground.
attention-emphasis
#966600
Solid warning.
severe-fg
#CC6B2C
Severe (orange) foreground.
done-fg
#986EE2
Done / purple foreground.
light-canvas
#FFFFFF
Authored light background — GitHub Light's canvas.default.
light-surface
#F6F8FA
Authored light surface — GitHub Light's canvas.subtle.
light-elevated
#EAEEF2
Authored light elevated — GitHub Light's canvas.inset.
light-fg
#1F2328
Authored light foreground — GitHub Light's fg.default.
light-fg-muted
#656D76
Authored light muted foreground — GitHub Light's fg.muted.
light-fg-subtle
#8C959F
Authored light subtle foreground — GitHub Light's fg.subtle.
Mode role mappings
Light mode (14 roles)
accent
→ done-fg accent-hover
→ severe-fg background
→ light-canvas error
→ danger-fg primary
→ accent-emphasis primary-hover
→ accent-fg success
→ success-fg surface
→ light-surface surface-elevated
→ light-elevated text-primary
→ light-fg text-secondary
→ light-fg-muted text-tertiary
→ light-fg-subtle warning
→ attention-fg warning-hover
→ attention-emphasis Dark mode (14 roles)
accent
→ done-fg accent-hover
→ severe-fg background
→ canvas-default error
→ danger-fg primary
→ accent-fg primary-hover
→ accent-emphasis success
→ success-fg surface
→ canvas-subtle surface-elevated
→ canvas-overlay text-primary
→ fg-default text-secondary
→ fg-muted text-tertiary
→ fg-subtle warning
→ attention-fg warning-hover
→ attention-emphasis Provenance
- Source
- https://github.com/primer/primitives/blob/main/src/tokens/base/color/dark/dark.dimmed.json5
- License
MIT- Attribution
- GitHub Primer Primitives, Copyright GitHub, Inc., MIT licensed. Dark Dimmed canvas + accents from @primer/primitives/dist/json/ colors/dark_dimmed.json as consumed by primer/github-vscode-theme.
- Imported
-
2026-05-18(upstream version @primer/primitives dark_dimmed (legacy JSON)) - Notes
- Dimmed inherits most chromatic scales from GitHub Dark and only overrides the canvas / neutral / border layers; the resulting surfaces (canvas.default #22272E, canvas.overlay #2D333B, canvas.inset #1C2128) are the visible signature of the variant. Accent foreground / emphasis values are the dimmed-specific softened blues (#539BF5 / #316DCA) rather than the higher- contrast GitHub Dark values. Light mode is brand-atoms' authored inversion — the primer/ primitives dimmed scheme is dark-only; the inversion exists only to satisfy the dual-mode contract and pairs the upstream GitHub Light canvas tones (#FFFFFF / #F6F8FA / #EAEEF2) with the dimmed accent hues unchanged.